An anecdote about permanence and file systems, an explanation of how the U.S. text messaging market is unique, then an overview of Google’s earnings and why GDPR might be having an effect.
Facebook Earnings, Facebook’s Stories Story, Additional Notes on Facebook’s Earnings
Facebook’s earnings were as disappointing as promised, which was ok with the stock market. Still, is there more going on than simply a transition to Stories?
The Problem with Facebook and Virtual Reality
Virtual reality has always been destined to be less important than augmented reality, and Facebook taking a stake has never made much sense.
The Conflation of Consumer Welfare with Antitrust, More Panel Notes, Google to License Play Store in Europe
Thoughts and notes from the FTC discussion on digital platform and competition, plus how Google’s remedy in Europe will mean more of the same when it comes to Android.
The Battle for the Home
Amazon, Google, Apple, and Facebook are battling for the home; what are their strengths, weaknesses, go-to-market strategies, and business models, and who is the favorite? Or does it matter?
Google, Exposures, and Breaches; Was Google Wrong?; The Political Considerations
Google had a data exposure, or was it a breach? The difference matters, but also misses the point of exactly what is dangerous for both end users and competition.
The Snap Memo, Snapchat’s Core Problem, Snap’s Bad Positioning
Evan Spiegel wrote a long memo to Snapchat that laid out the company’s problems perhaps more starkly than he appreciated.
Data Factories
Facebook and Google and other advertising businesses are data factories, and regulation will be most effective if it lets users look inside
WhatsApp Founder Speaks, EU Deception?, Facebook Ideology
More Facebook drama, this time from an interview with WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton. What was most noteworthy, though was the response.
Six Years of Systrom, Instagram’s Alternate Reality, Facebook’s Red Flag
Despite this week’s bad news, Facebook won with Systrom’s tenure. Then, what might have been with an independent Instagram, and the worrying signals this sends about Facebook the app.